In an interview with the group backstage, guitarist Dean DeLeo revealed that communication with their recently-fired frontman had become impossibly difficult. DeLeo explained Weiland had “changed his numbers years ago and didn’t forward the new ones” to the band.

Less than a week later, the band stunned the rock community by suing Weiland. In a complaint filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the band accused their ex-frontman of misappropriating the band’s name and assets to further his solo career. A quick search of setlist.com shows Weiland had regularly played Stone Temple Pilots songs during his solo concerts.

In the court filing, the band also claimed Weiland caused STP to lose lucrative business opportunities for live performances and other appearances, which cost the band millions.

As STP’s filing continues, upon learning of a radio promotion revolving around a new STP song with Bennington, Weiland is said to have attempted to interfere with airplay of “Out of Time” by calling Los Angeles radio station KROQ, claiming the band was infringing on Weiland’s rights.

Scott Weiland posted an open letter to his fans on Friday (May 24) explaining that the band has no legal right to call themselves STP without him.

A letter to my fans,

Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.

But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.

First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.

When I tour on my own, it’s never as Stone Temple Pilots. It’s as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they’re getting.

Like any band that’s stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy – the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that’s their prerogative.

I don’t give a f*** what they call themselves, but it’s not Stone Temple Pilots.

And so I say to you, our fans, I’ll see you out there on the road this summer where I’m touring as “Scott Weiland” with my band The Wildabouts. But don’t give up on STP. I know I haven’t.

~ Scott

(Disclaimer: KROQ and Radio.com are both owned by CBS.)

Jay Tilles

Jay is producer for Radio.com. Prior work includes more than a decade of executive producing the popular Kevin & Bean Morning Show on Los Angeles' KROQ-FM. He keeps it real in Long Beach, CA where he owns two retail stores. Follow him on Twitter.